Page 38 By Gregory Reynolds Ontario s frst diamond mine is close to the end of its productive life but owner De Beers Canada continues to honour its commitment to protecting the environment De Beers Group announced Nov 1 2017 that its V ictor Mine in North ern Ontario will complete mining and production activities in the frst quarter of 2019 once the current open pit is depleted and in line with the original feasibility study and cur rent mine plan The demolition and environmental monitoring phase is expected to take three to fve years De Beers is work ing closely with community partners to create opportunities for employ ment and awarding contracts that will be required during this phase Kim T ruter chief executive De Beers Canada said V ictor Mine has made a signifcant contribution to De Beers and to Canada and the mine team has consistently delivered the highest standards of performance and safety While we are focused on continuing to maintain production for the dura tion of operatio ns we are also plan ning responsibly for V ictor Mine s closure in line with the agree d mine plan and our commitment to leaving a positive legacy T wo projects completed this year solved potenti al problems through advanced engineering applications A 14000 cubic metre blanket of wo ven steel mesh is a unique approach to managing ice forming along pit walls at the V ictor Managing the 20000 tonnes of ice that forms in the pit in the bitter cold of winter is required due to the amount of water that fows into the pit each day During warmer months the water is collected and pumped into an extensive water management system something not possible when it freezes in the win ter Installing the mesh was both a feat of engineering and human ingenuity A specialized contractor was hired for the job which involved teams of workers rappelling into the pit to bolt the mesh to the 20 metre high pit walls The second project locally conceived and constructe d is a massive man made pond It is the latest tool used by the V ictor Mine team to keep the mine free of water The staging pond built by the team over several months is capable of holding 90000 cubic metres of water Built into the eastern end of the V ic tor pit the pond was commis sioned in January The new pond was require d to in crease water management efciency in removing inpit water from the 250 metredeep pit W ater will be pumped from the bottom to the new pond where it will stay for about three days long enough for sediments to settle out From the pond water will then be pumped into the existing water man agement infrastructure of the mine Building the pond was a complex job It measures 535 metres in circu mference around the top and is 20 metres deep A geotechnical review was required as part of the planning to ensure the 20 metre thick rock saddle separating the pond from the rest of the pit would be able to safely hold the water Construction required 594000 tonnes of rock previously mined from the pit It took 19500 m2 of specia l water tight material to line the pit The V ictor team manages about 75000 m3 of natural occurring ground water each day collec ted from inside the pit and from wells drilled around the perimeter De Beers developed a detailed mine closure plan before V ictor opened and progressive reclamation work has al ready been taking place at the mine for several years T o date this has included the planting of more than 200000 tree saplings and willow stakes that were harvested and grown locally through a commu nity youth work program It will continue to operate at full pro duction throughout its remaining life The V ictor team has been recog nised for its exemplary performance throughout the life of the operation with the mine being named Interna tional Mine of the Y ear in 2009 and twice receiving the John T R yan Na tional A ward for the safest mine in Canada in 2015 and 2016 As part of the company s operating philosophy the people of De Beers Group are committed to Building Forever by making a lasting contri bution to the communities in which they live and work and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth Page 36